HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research
  • +36 52 509 200
  • titkarsag@atomki.hu

HUN-REN ATOMKI

Space Chemistry Research Group

Publications

Our Papers in 2025
An Arctic analogue for the future exploration of possible biosignatures on Enceladus

F. Franchi; M. Túri; G. Lakatos; K. K. Rahul; D.V. Mifsud; G. Panieri; R. Rácz; S.T.S. Kovács; E. Furu; R. Huszánk; R. W. McCullough; Z. Juhász

Planetary and Space Science 257, 106051 (2025)

Hydroxylamine in astrophysical ices: Infrared spectra and cosmic-ray-induced radiolytic chemistry

Belén Maté; Ramón J. Peláez; Germán Molpecerez; Richárd Rácz; Duncan V. Mifsud; Juan Ortigoso; Víctor M. Rivilla; Gergő Lakatos; Béla Sulik; Péter Herczku; Sergio Ioppolo; Sándor Biri; Zoltán Juhász

ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, 695, A102 (2025)

Vacuum ultraviolet photoabsorption spectroscopy of space-related ices: Formation of (cyano)polyynes in 1 keV electron irradiated hydrocarbon-rich ices

Z. Kaňuchová1, L. E. Borchert, D. V. Mifsud, A. Traspas Muiña, A. M. Wilson, M. Prochal, N. C. Jones, S. V. Hoffmann, A. Cassidy, L. Hornekær, N. J. Mason, G. Strazzulla, S. Ioppolo.

ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS 700 : A115 (2025)

Electron irradiation of crystalline nitrous oxide ice at low temperatures: Applications to outer Solar System planetary science

Mifsud, Duncan V. ; Góbi, Sándor ; Herczku, Péter ; Sulik, Béla ; Juhász, Zoltán ; Ioppolo, Sergio ; Mason, Nigel J. ; Tarczay, György.

LOW TEMPERATURE PHYSICS 51 : 4, 412-425., (2025)

Electron irradiation of crystalline nitrous oxide ice at low temperatures: applications to outer Solar System planetary science

Mifsud, D.V. ; Góbi, S. ; Herczku, P. ; Sulik, B. ; Juhász, Z. ; Ioppolo, S. ; Mason, N.J. ; Tarczay, G.

FIZIKA NIZKIKH TEMPERATUR 51 : 4, 459-473., (2025)

Cosmic Ray Irradiation of Interstellar Ices on Sulfur-Rich Grains: A Possible Source of Sulfur-Bearing Molecules

Duncan V. Mifsud, Zuzana Kaňuchová, Olivier Auriacombe, Péter Herczku, Danna Qasim, Sándor T. S. Kovács, Richárd Rácz, Béla Sulik, Zoltán Juhász, István Rajta, István Vajda, Sándor Biri, Robert W. McCullough, Sergio Ioppolo, Ujjwal Raut, Nigel J. Mason.

ACS EARTH AND SPACE CHEMISTRY 9 : 5, 1227-1242., (2025)

Water-group ion irradiation studies of Enceladus ice analogues: Can radiolysis account for material in and around the south polar plume?

Grace Richards, Richárd Rácz, Sándor T.S. Kovács, Victoria Pearson, Geraint Morgan, Manish R. Patel, Simon Sheridan, Duncan V. Mifsud, Béla Sulik, Sándor Biri, Nigel J. Mason, Robert W. McCullough, Zoltán Juhász

PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE 266 : 106179 (2025)

Evaluation of simulated space weathering-based meteorite alteration and potential influence on mechanical deformation of rubble pile asteroids

Kereszturi A, Gyollai I, Biri S, Juhász Z, Király Cs, Pál B D, Rácz R, Rezes D, Sulik B, Szabó M, Szalai Z, Szávai P

FRONTIERS IN ASTRONOMY AND SPACE SCIENCES 12 : 1427387, (2025)

Space Weathering Change of Grain Surfaces using Meteorite Tests and Related Possible Consequences on Asteroid Properties

Kereszturi A., Gyollai I., Biri S., Juhasz Z., Kiraly Cs., Racz R., Rezes D., Sulik B., Szabo M., Szalai Z., Szavai P.

SOLAR SYSTEM RESEARCH 59 : 74 (2025)

A systematic IR and VUV spectroscopic investigation of ion, electron, and thermally processed ethanolamine ice.

Zhang, J.; Muiña, A. T.; Mifsud D. V.; Kaňuchová, Z.; Cielinska, K.; Herczku, P.; Rahul, K K; Kovács, S. T S; Rácz, R.; Santos, J. C; Hopkinson, A. T; Craciunescu, L.; Jones, N. C; Hoffmann, S. V; Biri, S.; Vajda, I.; Rajta, I.; Dawes, A.; Sivaraman, B.; Juhász, Z.; Sulik, B.; Linnartz, H.; Hornekær, L.; Fantuzzi, F.; Mason, N. J; and Ioppolo, S.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 533(1): 826–840. August 2024. 

AQUILA: A laboratory facility for the irradiation of astrochemical ice analogs by keV ions

R. Rácz; S. T. S. Kovács; G. Lakatos; K. K. Rahul; D. V. Mifsud; P. Herczku; B. Sulik; Z. Juhász; Z. Perduk; S. Ioppolo; N. J. Mason; T. A. Field; S. Biri; R. W. McCullough

Rev. Sci. Instrum. 95, 095105 (2024)

Raman spectroscopy analysis of artificial space weathering effects of NWA 10580 CO3 meteorite.

Kereszturi, Á.; Biri, S.; Gyollai, I.; Juhász Z; Király, C.; Rácz, R.; Rezes, D.; Sulik, B.; Szabó, M.; Szalai, Z.; Szávai, P.; and Szklenár, T.

Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 59(10): 2851–2864. October 2024.

A systematic mid-infrared spectroscopic study of thermally processed H2S ices.

Duncan V. Mifsud, Péter Herczku, Ragav Ramachandran, Pavithraa Sundararajan, K.K. Rahul, Sándor T.S. Kovács, Béla Sulik, Zoltán Juhász, Richárd Rácz, Sándor Biri, Zuzana Kaňuchová, Sergio Ioppolo, Bhalamurugan Sivaraman, Robert W. McCullough, Nigel J. Mason.

SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 319 : 124567 , 9 2024.

Sulphur ion implantation into O2, CO, and CO2 ices: Implications for the formation of sulphur-bearing molecules in the Kuiper Belt.

Duncan V. Mifsud, Zuzana Kaňuchová, Péter Herczku, Zoltán Juhász, Sándor T.S. Kovács, Gergő Lakatos, K.K. Rahul, Richárd Rácz, Béla Sulik, Sándor Biri, István Rajta, István Vajda, Sergio Ioppolo, Robert W. McCullough, Nigel J. Mason.

ICARUS 411 : 115926 , 12, 2024.

Ultraviolet spectrum reveals the presence of ozone on Jupiter's moon Callisto.

R. Ramachandran, J.K. Meka, K.K. Rahul, W. Khan, J.-I. Lo, B.-M. Cheng, D.V. Mifsud, B.N. Rajasekhar, A. Das, H. Hill, P. Janardhan, Anil Bhardwaj, N.J. Mason, B. Sivaraman.

ICARUS 410 : 115896 , 6, 2024.

Chemistry on interstellar dust grains

Shingledecker, Christopher N. ; Vogt-Geisse, Stefan ; Mifsud, Duncan V. ; Ioppolo, Sergio.

Astrochemical Modeling : practical aspects of microphysics in numerical simulations, Elsevier 71-115. 2024.

Raman–Infrared Spectral Correlation of an Artificially Space-Weathered Carbonaceous Chondrite Meteorite.

Gyollai I, Biri S, Juhász Z, Király Cs, Rácz R, Rezes D, Sulik B, Szabó M, Szalai Z, Szávai P, Szklenár T, Kereszturi Á

MINERALS 14 : 288, 2024.

Irradiation induced mineral changes of NWA10580 meteorite determined by infrared analysis

I. Gyollai, S. Biri, Z. Juhász, Cs. Király, B. D. Pál, R. Rácz, D. Rezes, B. Sulik, M. Szabó1, Z. Szalai, P. Szávai, T. Szklenár, Á. Kereszturi.

ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS 683 : A162, 2024.

A laboratory infrared model of astrophysical pyrimidines.

Rosa, Caroline Antunes; Bergantini, Alexandre; da, Silveira Enio Frota; Emilio, Marcelo; Andrade, Laerte; Pacheco, Eduardo Janot; Mason, Nigel J.; Lage, Claudia.

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 531 : 4, 4794-4804., 2024

Proton and Electron Irradiations of CH4:H2O Mixed Ices.

Mifsud D. V.; Herczku, P.; Sulik, B.; Juhász, Z.; Vajda, I.; Rajta, I.; Ioppolo, S.; Mason, N. J.; Strazzulla, G.; and Kaňuchová, Z.

Atoms, 11(2): 19. January 2023.

Bombardment of CO Ice by Cosmic Rays. I. Experimental Insights into the Microphysics of Molecule Destruction and Sputtering.

Ivlev, A. V.; Giuliano, B. M.; Juhász, Z.; Herczku, P.; Sulik, B.; Mifsud D. V.; Kovács, S. T. S.; Rahul, K. K.; Rácz, R.; Biri, S.; Rajta, I.; Vajda, I.; Mason, N. J.; Ioppolo, S.; and Caselli, P.

The Astrophysical Journal, 944(2): 181. February 2023.

A systematic mid-infrared spectroscopic study of thermally processed SO 2 ices.

Mifsud. D. V.; Herczku, P.; Rahul, K. K.; Ramachandran, R.; Sundararajan, P.; Kovács, S. T. S.; Sulik, B.; Juhász, Z.; Rácz, R.; Biri, S.; Kaňuchová, Z.; McCullough, R. W.; Sivaraman, B.; Ioppolo, S.; and Mason, N. J.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 25(38): 26278–26288. 2023.

Infrared Spectral Signatures of Nucleobases in Interstellar Ices I: Purines.

Rosa, C. A.; Bergantini, A.; Herczku, P.; Mifsud D. V.; Lakatos, G.; Kovács, S. T. S.; Sulik, B.; Juhász, Z.; Ioppolo, S.; Quitián-Lara, H. M.; Mason, N. J.; and Lage, C.

Life, 13(11): 2208. November 2023.

Molecular-rotation-induced splitting of the binary ridge in the velocity map of sub-eV H+ ions ejected from H2 molecules by ion impact

Z. Juhász, S. T. S. Kovács, V. Vizcaïno, P. Herczku, S. Demes, R. Rácz, B. Sulik, S. Biri, N. Sens, D. V. Mifsud, J.-Y. Chesnel.

PHYSICAL REVIEW A 107 : L010801. 2023.

Anion Creation in Ion—Molecule Collisions in the Solar Wind Energy Region

Z. Juhász, B. Sulik, E. Lattouf, E. Bene, B. A. Huber, P. Herczku, S. T. S. Kovács, A. Méry, J.-C. Poully, J. Rangama, J. A. Tanis, V. Vizcaino, J.-Y. Chesnel.

Joblin Christine. European Conference on Laboratory Astrophysics ECLA2020: The Interplay of Dust, Ice, and Gas in Space. ISBN:9783031290022; 9783031290039 pp. 295-301 Paper: Chapter 34 2023. 

Review of meteorite irradiation tests to support next C-type asteroid missions

Kereszturi, Á; Gyollai, I ; Juhász, Z ; Pál, B D ; Rácz, R ; Rezes, D ; Sulik, B.

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 519 : 3, 3947-3957., 2023.

Mid-IR and VUV spectroscopic characterisation of thermally processed and electron irradiated CO2 astrophysical ice analogues.

Mifsud D.; Kaňuchová, Z.; Ioppolo, S.; Herczku, P.; Traspas Muiña, A.; Field, T.; Hailey, P.; Juhász, Z.; Kovács, S.; Mason, N.; McCullough, R.; Pavithraa, S.; Rahul, K.; Paripás, B.; Sulik, B.; Chou, S.; Lo, J.; Das, A.; Cheng, B.; Rajasekhar, B.; Bhardwaj, A.; and Sivaraman, B.

Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy, 385: 111599. March 2022.

Ozone production in electron irradiated CO2:O2 ices.

Mifsud D. V.; Hailey, P. A.; Herczku, P.; Sulik, B.; Juhász, Z.; Kovács, S. T. S.; Kaňuchová, Z.; Ioppolo, S.; McCullough, R. W.; Paripás, B.; and Mason, N. J.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 24(18): 10974–10984. May 2022.

Laboratory experiments on the radiation astrochemistry of water ice phases.

Mifsud, D. V.; Hailey, P. A.; Herczku, P.; Juhász Z.; Kovács, S. T. S.; Sulik, B.; Ioppolo, S.; Kaňuchová, Z.; McCullough, R. W.; Paripás, B.; and Mason, N. J.

The European Physical Journal D, 76(5): 87. May 2022.

The Effect of the Solid Phase Adopted by Astrophysical Ices on their Radiation Chemistry and Physics: Implications for the Synthesis of Prebiotic Molecules.

Mifsud D.; Hailey, P.; Herczku, P.; Juhász, Z.; Kovács, S.; Sulik, B.; Kushwaha, R. K.; Rácz, R.; Biri, S.; Ioppolo, S.; Kaňuchová, Z.; Paripás, B.; McCullough, R.; and Mason, N.

Technical Report EPSC2022-832, Copernicus Meetings, July 2022.

Astrochemistry Experimental Setup at Atomki-ECRIS: A Europlanet Facility.

Kushwaha, R. K.; Rácz, R.; Kovács, S. T. S.; Herczku, P.; Sulik, B.; Juhász Z.; Biri, S.; Mifsud, D. V.; Ioppolo, S.; Kanuchová, Z.; Field, T. A.; Hailey, P.; McCullough, R.; and Mason, N. J.

Technical Report EPSC2022-1019, Copernicus Meetings, July 2022.

Sulfur Ion Implantations Into Condensed CO2 : Implications for Europa.

Mifsud D. V.; Kaňuchová, Z.; Herczku, P.; Juhász, Z.; Kovács, S. T. S.; Lakatos, G.; Rahul, K. K.; Rácz, R.; Sulik, B.; Biri, S.; Rajta, I.; Vajda, I.; Ioppolo, S.; McCullough, R. W.; and Mason, N. J.

Geophysical Research Letters, 49(24). December 2022.

Energetic electron irradiations of amorphous and crystalline sulphur-bearing astrochemical ices.

Mifsud D. V.; Herczku, P.; Rácz, R.; Rahul, K. K.; Kovács, S. T. S.; Juhász, Z.; Sulik, B.; Biri, S.; McCullough, R. W.; Kaňuchová, Z.; Ioppolo, S.; Hailey, P. A.; and Mason, N. J.

Frontiers in Chemistry, 10. 2022.

Comparative electron irradiations of amorphous and crystalline astrophysical ice analogues

Duncan V. Mifsud, Perry A. Hailey, Péter Herczku, Béla Sulik, Zoltán Juhász, Sándor T. S. Kovács, Zuzana Kaňuchová, Sergio Ioppolo, Robert W. McCullough, Béla Paripás, Nigel J. Mason.

PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS 24 : 10974-10984. , 2022.

VUV photoabsorption of thermally processed carbon disulfide and ammonia ice mixtures – Implications for icy objects in the solar system

S. Pavithraa, R. Ramachandran, D.V. Mifsud, J.K. Meka, J.I. Lo, S.L. Chou, Bing-Ming Cheng, B.N. Rajasekhar, Anil Bhardwaj, N.J. Mason, B. Sivaraman.

SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 283 : 121645 2022.

The Ice Chamber for Astrophysics–Astrochemistry (ICA): A new experimental facility for ion impact studies of astrophysical ice analogs.

Herczku, P.; Mifsud D. V.; Ioppolo, S.; Juhász, Z.; Kaňuchová, Z.; Kovács, S. T. S.; Traspas Muiña, A.; Hailey, P. A.; Rajta, I.; Vajda, I.; Mason, N. J.; McCullough, R. W.; Paripás, B.; and Sulik, B.

Review of Scientific Instruments, 92(8): 084501. August 2021.

Electron irradiation and thermal chemistry studies of interstellar and planetary ice analogues at the ICA astrochemistry facility.

Mifsud D. V.; Juhász, Z.; Herczku, P.; Kovács, S. T. S.; Ioppolo, S.; Kaňuchová, Z.; Czentye, M.; Hailey, P. A.; Muiña, A. T.; Mason, N. J.; McCullough, R. W.; Paripás, B.; and Sulik, B.

The European Physical Journal D, 75(6): 182. June 2021

Sulfur Ice Astrochemistry: A Review of Laboratory Studies.

Mifsud D. V.; Kaňuchová, Z.; Herczku, P.; Ioppolo, S.; Juhász, Z.; Kovács, S. T. S.; Mason, N. J.; McCullough, R. W.; and Sulik, B.

Space Science Reviews, 217(1): 14. January 2021.

Astrophysics, astrochemistry and laboratory space research with particle acelerators

Biri, S ; Rácz, R ; Gyürky, Gy ; Fülöp, Zs ; Juhász, Z ; Sulik, B ; Mifsud, D

Giants – Gruppi Italiani di Astrofisica Nucleare Teorica e Sperimentale 2021 : 13 pp. 9-12. , 4 p. 2021

Systems Astrochemistry: A New Doctrine for Experimental Studies

Mason, N.J.; Hailey, P.A.; Mifsud, D.V.; Urquhart, J.S.

FRONTIERS IN ASTRONOMY AND SPACE SCIENCES 8: 739046. 2021.

The Role of Terahertz and Far-IR Spectroscopy in Understanding the Formation and Evolution of Interstellar Prebiotic Molecules

Mifsud, Duncan V. ; Hailey, Perry A. ; Traspas Muiña, Alejandra ; Auriacombe, Olivier ; Mason, Nigel J. ; Ioppolo, Sergio

FRONTIERS IN ASTRONOMY AND SPACE SCIENCES 8: 757619. 2021.

Ion and electron impact studies on astrophysically relevant ices: a new laboratory at Atomki in Debrecen.

Herczku, P.; Juhász, Z.; Kovács, S. T. S.; Sulik, B.; Ioppolo, S.; Mason, N. J.; Mifsud D. V.; Traspas-Muina, A.; Czentye, M.; Kanuchová, Z.; Paripás, B.; and McCullough, R. W

Technical Report EPSC2020-950, Copernicus Meetings, August 2020.